John Paul II - our patron by Kujawsko-Pomorskie

Usually, comics tell the story of one figure – a hero – someone who rises above ordinary people. Is this a story of John Paul II? To some extent probably yes, but above all it is a story about ourselves, the inhabitants of Pomorze and Kujavia. About those given the opportunity to attend meetings with the Polish Pope. And about how it affected our lives. About how, in June 1991 in Włocławek and eight years later in Bydgoszcz and Toruń, hundreds of thousands of believers and non-believers gathered around the Holy Father, whose presence, as was so brilliantly expressed by Archbishop Jan Romeo Pawłowski, became a call to unity, to common concern for that heritage which is called Poland (...). What days they were! The grace of the Holy Spirit grew abundantly, transforming hearts and appearances, including those of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie region. Archbishop Pawłowski, a son of Kujavia and Pomorze, spoke these words a year ago, during a grand mass in Toruń cathedral, when the Vatican’s decision to declare Saint John Paul II the patron saint of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodeship was officially proclaimed. This had been initiated by the regional assembly. Earlier, in 2008, also by decision of the regional government, June 7 – the anniversary of the pilgrimages of the Pope to Włocławek, Bydgoszcz and Toruń – was made the Voivodeship Day. Through this publication, let us revisit those extraordinary days and feel that unity.

Piotr Całbecki Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship

text

Maciej Jasiński illustrations ISBN 978-83-953483-0-3

9 788395 348303

Jacek Michalski

text Maciej Jasiński illustrations Meetings with John Paul II Meetings with Pope John Paul II were always an event. They feature in the life stories of many people living today. Now, years later, we see that not only can we refer to them, but in a sense we can also build a future on them. They are not just ever-more-distant history, but they touch the present, where we live and make various decisions. Meetings with the Pope marked not only the life stories of particular people, but also the histories of cities. In the Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodeship, these were mainly the cities that the Holy Father visited during his pilgrimages, namely Włocławek, Bydgoszcz and Toruń. Let us not forget that the papal heritage in Kujavia and Pomorze also includes encounters with a future Pope, that is, events from before October 16, 1978. Priest, Bishop and Cardinal Karol Wojtyła all entered our home, coming to various events, and some that were very private. He visited Włocławek, for example, in 1963 during the episcopal ordination of Father Kazimierz Majdanski, and in 1966 during the Millennium celebrations. His co-seminarian, Father Andrzej Baziński served in the diocese of Włocławek. As a result, on June 27, 1968, as Archbishop of Kraków, he stayed in the Służewo parish, where they shared a friendly meeting. In Toruń, he had close friends, Joachim and Klemens Gudl, whom he had met in his ministry in the university chaplaincy in Kraków. In 1953, he visited their family home in the district of Winnica in Toruń while he was on his way to Kashubia with his young friends from the chaplaincy. He was also attached to the city of Nicolaus Copernicus by family ties. Here, at Saint Józef’s church in 1971, he blessed the marriage of his relative Marek Wiadrowski to Kazimiera Passowicz. In Bydgoszcz, on May 29, 1966 in the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Szwederowo he participated in the coronation of the image of Our Lady of Beautiful Love from the parish church. The next day he celebrated Holy Mass in the church of St. Wincenty á Paulo. These events were the core of the celebration of the Millennium of the “Baptism of Poland” in Bydgoszcz. As an academic chaplain and then Archbishop of Kraków, he admired the natural beauty around Bydgoszcz among students and friends from his academic chaplaincy during kayaking trips along the Brda in 1953 and 1966. The pontificate of Pope John Paul II, i.e. the years 1978–2005, was primarily a time of meetings in the major cities of what is today our voivodeship during pilgrimages to Poland in 1991 and 1999. These stays left the most souvenirs – not only in memories, but also in material traces. The pilgrimage of 1999 took place in the current, but then new, administrative division of Poland, so the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province has permanently entered the history of papal pilgrimages. One feature of meetings with John Paul II is that they come back round – in some strange way they are recalled, and even call for a continuation. I have no doubt that that experience is also the kernel of this comic book dedicated to the Pope. Like many residents of our province, I attended several meetings with Pope John Paul II, especially when he came as a pilgrim to his homeland. The first time was in Gdynia in 1987, and the last in Błonie in Kraków in 2002. Each of these meetings left its mark. I must admit, however, that the most intense time meeting the Holy Father was during the Sixth World Youth Day, which was held on August 14–15, 1991 in Jasna Góra. During the evening Jasna Góra Appeal, I stood with the Holy Father on the summit of Jasna Góra. I remember how the Pope called out to the youth of the different countries. I have never experienced such a sense of Church community – it was as if the shepherd were calling his sheep to him, looking to see that they were all in the flock, and being very happy at their presence. He gave us courage the whole time and convinced us that God the Father was watching over us. The World Youth Day motto at the time was the words of St. Paul: You received the Spirit of adoption (Rom 8:15). During those special days I met many young people from the East. I will never forget the moment when, just before the departure of the Pope on the morning of 16 August, that group powerfully called out to the Holy Father to go to them at the summit of Jasna Góra. The Pope appeared and addressed a special word to them. I think it was one of the most important meetings the Pope had with the youth of Belarus, Ukraine, Russia and Lithuania. I stood at the top, near the papal throne, and I was aware that I was taking part in something great. To this day, I remember that intense call out to the Pope and that desire to meet him. I also see the person of Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz who, with the young people, looked forward to and even urged the Pope onto the Jasna Góra ridge. I am convinced that that meeting bore rich fruit. I encourage you to read the comic, or rather, to join in another, perhaps slightly different meeting with Pope John Paul II, who to the inhabitants of our province has since last year been someone special – a patron saint and an intercessor. Prof. Waldemar Rozynkowski

Jacek Michalski content advisor prof. dr hab. Waldemar Rozynkowski translation Damian Jasiński ISBN 978-83-953483-0-3 publication date 2018 edition 2000 szt. publisher Agencja Reklamowa GALL sc ul. Szosa Chełmińska 50, 87-100 Toruń gall@gall.torun.pl commissioned by Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region

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